The Royals will travel North of the Border to face the scorching Toronto Blue Jays in the first game of their series.

Kansas City Royals

The World Series champs have played much better baseball lately, though they still find themselves more than a handful of games behind the first-place Indians in the AL Central.

Injuries have really plagued Kansas City this year, and their offensive numbers have suffered.

The Royals are second in the majors in hits but just 24th in runs. The Royals are barely averaging 3 runs per game over their last six road contests, a stat that doesn’t bode well as they face the red–hot Aaron Sanchez.

The veteran Edinson Volquez will start for the Royals as he looks to get his road work under control.

Volquez has a 5.67 ERA on the road this year where batters are hitting him for a .278 average.

He was solid in his last road start, however, allowing just six hits and no runs in 6.2 innings against the Cardinals.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays were able to snap the mighty Indians’ 14-game winning streak and their offense has really come alive averaging nearly 6 runs per game over their last eight.

Toronto is now 10th in runs, 8th in slugging, 9th in OPS and 3rd in home runs.

Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson are still the heart of the offense, but guys like Russell Martin and Justin Smoak are contributing as well.

Aaron Sanchez will toe the rubber for the Blue Jays as he looks to build off his incredible season.

Toronto’s young ace comes in with a 8-1 record and a 3.08 ERA. He hasn’t lost a start since April 22 and has quickly become one of the most impressive young pitchers in baseball.

Despite his phenomenal stats, Sanchez has struggled at home this year.

When pitching inside Rogers Centre, Sanchez has a 4.79 ERA and opposing batters are hitting him for a .286 average.

MLB Baseball Betting Trends:

Royals are 16-27 on the road.

Royals are 10-7 when Volquez starts.

Blue Jays are 10-6 when Sanchez starts.

Blue Jays are 4-1 in Sanchez’s last five home starts.

Sanchez has a 4.79 home ERA.

Free Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays MLB Prediction:

Both of these teams are playing better, but I think the Blue Jays are the superior team.

The Royals have been snake-bitten by a lack of offense, and Edinson Volquez has been awful away from home.

And while Aaron Sanchez has had his share of struggles at home, he’s been the beneficiary of plenty of run support. He hasn’t lost a start since the end of April, and I think he’ll get the better of the Royals.

4* Free MLB Betting Pick: Toronto ML and Over 9

This is a really high number for a guy who struggles at home, so the total looks like a solid additional play. I don’t think the Royals will win, but I do think there will be double-digit runs scored.

MLB Free Score Prediction: Toronto 7-5

If you’re looking for more picks like this Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays we’ll be providing 4* free MLB plays on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free MLB Baseball picks!

About Steven Slivka

Steven is new to Capper Picks, but he is not new to sports handicapping. He used to run his own sports betting blog before joining Capper Picks. Steven was raised in Las Vegas and is a proud graduate of UNLV where he majored in journalism. He's a lifelong fan of the Oakland Raiders, L.A. Kings and Miami Marlins, though they'll always be the Florida Marlins to him. Follow @StevenSlivka on Twitter.